Public viewing sites set for moon mission from Wallops

Aug. 27, 2013

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Submitted by NASA

WALLOPS — Residents and visitors to the area will have two prime viewing locations for the launch of NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer, scheduled to lift off at 11:27 p.m. Sept. 6 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad-0B at NASA Wallops Flight Facility.

In partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Accomack County Board of Supervisors and the Town of Chincoteague, residents and visitors to the area may view the launch from Robert Reed Park on Chincoteague or the portion of Beach Road spanning the area between Chincoteague and Assateague Islands.

The two sites will feature the launch countdown live and NASA personnel will be on hand to discuss the LADEE mission. In addition, a live broadcast of the launch operations will be shown on a big-screen projector in Robert Reed Park beginning at 9:30 p.m. on the day of launch.

“We’re excited about this partnership with the community in providing an enhanced launch experience to members of the public,” said Jeremy Eggers, public information officer for NASA Wallops Flight Facility. “The live countdown and launch broadcast will place people in mission control on launch night for what is already a historic mission for Wallops and the Eastern Shore,” he said.

The Robert Reed Park and Beach Road viewing sites are the official viewing sites for the LADEE launch.

Residents and visitors to the area should note that the beach on Assateague Island, Va. will close at 7 p.m. the day of the launch and will not be open for launch viewing because of the safety area required for LADEE’s launch trajectory.

It is also expected the NASA Visitors Center will reach capacity early and close.

The LADEE mission has many firsts, including the first flight of the Minotaur V rocket, testing of a high-data-rate laser communication system, and the first lunar launch from Wallops.

LADEE also is the first spacecraft designed, developed, built, integrated and tested at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. Ames manages the overall LADEE mission. The probe will launch on a U.S. Air Force Minotaur V rocket, an excess ballistic missile converted into a space launch vehicle and operated by Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va.

Android users also have the option of downloading the new “What’s Up at Wallops” app, which contains information on the launch as well as a compass showing the precise direction for launch viewing. The app is available for download at http://go.nasa.gov/17veCYT.

A live broadcast of the launch will air on NASA TV; a television schedule as well as a live webcast of the launch will be available at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.